Scanning

Before FACT can perform other network tasks, you must first scan the network to determine which hosts and switches are in the network and to determine how they are connected. FACT scans an entire subnet at the same time, connecting to each managed Cisco switch and, optionally, to each port.

FACT has four scan types:

Fabric scan--Finds the static configuration of the network. After collecting a fabric scan, FACT can display the network components and show how they are connected.

Tech-support scan--Collects information that can be forwarded to a customer-support organization. A tech-support scan includes a fabric scan, which FACT can use, although FACT does not use the additional information. FACT saves that information for an expert to inspect.

Port-counters scan--Collects port counters from the Performance Manager, in addition to the data collected in a fabric scan. See Using Port Counters for more information.

Incomplete scan--A scan that has failed, either because of misconfiguration or because devices are not responding. The most common reason for an incomplete scan is either because the configuration does not include the device that is running the master Subnet Manager or because it includes two master Subnet Managers. In either case, change your configuration so that it includes exactly one master Subnet Manager. Alternately, you can force FACT to use the correct master Subnet Manager by setting subnet-manager: in the .fact.conf file or with the subnet-managerhostname command option.

Note: If you are using the High-Performance Subnet Manager, then you must allow FACT to scan the hosts running HSM.

You can use the --trace command option to show FACT communication with each managed node as it scans.

Maintaining the Repository

FACT maintains a repository that contains the results of past scans. FACT considers the last-performed scan in the repository as the current scan, which it uses for queries, annotations, port control, and firmware upgrades. Whenever you scan the network, the new scan becomes the current scan, although the repository has a history mechanism that allows the current scan to be rolled back to an earlier version.

By default, the repository is located at $HOME/.fact.

Use the show history command to view all scans. Each scan has an index number that you use to select any particular scan. Use the select command to change the current scan.

The following example shows that the current scan is scan 6, as designated by the letter “Y”:

You can delete old scans by selecting the scan number from the index and using the delete scans command.
The following example shows deleting the first three scans from the list in the previous example:

Note: After you deleted scans 1 through 3, the scans that were previously listed as scans 4, 5, and 6 have remained, but they have now moved up in the index to become scans 1, 2, and 3.

You can export the current scan to a file with the export scan command, or you can export the entire repository with the export repository command. Similarly, you can import a scan with the import scan command or the import the entire repository with the import repository command.

If you need assistance in troubleshooting your network, you can use the export repository command. You can export the repository, save it to your specified location, and then make a copy to send to technical support.

Showing Network Information

Use the FACT help command to list all commands that are available. Generally, each query has several different output formats. The common formats are summary, guids, and detail.

The notation "someswitch/M/N" is called a chassis-view port name. The notation shows port N on slot M of chassis someswitch. The notation "someswitch/L:M/N" is a chip-view port name. The notation shows port N on chip M of slot L of chassis someswitch. Some switches require a mapping between external port numbers and chip-level port numbers. The chassis view uses external port numbers, and the chip view uses internal port numbers.

Note: The colon character (":") appears only in the chip view, so its appearance in a string indicates that the string is in chip view notation.

The show ports command shows the ports and also the port neighbors of each port. If a port has no current neighbor, the last-known neighbor is shown. Last-known neighbors appear in square brackets ("[...]").

Using Annotation

When a file is annotated, FACT searches it for numeric constants and presents network components. It adds an annotation to each numeric constant, showing a human-readable name for that component.

FACT can annotate a log file or any file. When a file is annotated, FACT appends each GUID with a short explanation of what that GUID represents, as shown in the following example of an original log:

You can use the annotation as an element in a UNIX shell pipeline to annotate GUIDs in any command output, as shown in the following example:

$ ibtstat | fact annotate /dev/stdin

You can pass an entire syslog through FACT annotation, as shown in the following example:

$ fact annotate follow /var/logs/messages

If you do not provide a specific file with the annotate command, FACT looks for log-file parameters in the master configuration file.

Note: Annotation always uses the current scan.

Using Port Counters

InfiniBand switch chips maintain a set of counters for each port. These counters count the occurrence of various types of errors. You can use FACT to collect and display port counters.

FACT can collect three types of port counter scans:

Raw—The Subnet Manager does not need to be configured to collect raw port counters. FACT tells the Subnet Manager to enter every switch chip in the subnet to collect its port counters.

Monitored—The Subnet Manager must be configured to collect monitored port counters. The Subnet Manager can be configured to monitor specified counters or all counters.

Threshold—The Subnet Manager must be configured to collect threshold port counters. The threshold scan collects just those monitored port counters that have exceeded their error thresholds.

Cisco Subnet Manager can monitor a subset of the counters that the Subnet Manager monitors. (FACT calls them monitored counters.) The Subnet Manager can also be configured to report those counters that have exceeded a defined error threshold. (FACT calls them threshold counters.)

Installing Firmware with FACT

You can use FACT to install firmware on Cisco Server Fabric Switches running SFS OS, both on managed and unmanaged switches. Likewise, you can install firmware either on a single switch or on multiple switches simultaneously. (This firmware upgrade feature is not available for the OEM switches: Cisco SFS 7012 or Cisco SFS 7024.)

Note: Because each firmware image is for a specific switch model, if you upgrade firmware on multiple switches simultaneously, all switches must be of the same model for which the firmware file is intended. FACT returns an error message if the firmware image does not match the switch model.

Installing Firmware in Managed Switches

To install firmware on a managed Cisco Server Fabric Switch, perform the following steps:

Step 1 Log in to the host as a superuser.

Step 2 Enter the install command to obtain and install the new firmware image. For an SFS OS switch, FACT instructs the switch to download the firmware from an FTP server, which you must set up in advance. The path argument must be an FTP URL with the following syntax:

Step 3 FACT checks the firmware on each switch that you want to upgrade and prints version numbers to the screen, grouped by version number. FACT then asks for confirmation. Confirm the version by typing y. FACT installs the new firmware on all specified switches.

Note: When you install firmware on an SFS OS switch that is configured to be the master Subnet Manager, wait for at least one minute after the installation for the Subnet Manager to take control of the subnet before rescanning the fabric, or the scan fails and no master Subnet Manager is found.

The following example shows an SFS OS firmware upgrade from build 137 to build 154 on switches 1 through 2. The example shows that while the user attempted to upgrade switch 3, FACT determined that switch 3 was already running the updated build, and FACT disregarded the installation:

Step 4 Enter the scan fabric command so that FACT can learn the current version that the switches are running.

Step 5 Enter the show versions command to ensure that the correct version appears in the output.

Installing Firmware in Unmanaged Switches

For unmanaged switches, FACT uses the ibspark tool to install firmware. The ibspark tool transmits the firmware through InfiniBand to the switch, so the tool must run on a host that is directly connected to the InfiniBand network. However, ibspark is not required to reside on the same host as FACT. FACT can use SSH to reach the host with ibspark. (For information about obtaining the ibspark tool, see Obtaining and Installing Optional Software Tools .) (For information about configuring FACT to use ibspark, see About Master Configuration Files.)

To install firmware on an unmanaged Cisco Server Fabric Switch, perform the following steps:

Step 1 Log in to the host as a superuser.

Step 2 Enter the install command to obtain and install the new firmware image. For an unmanaged switch, the file parameter is a regular firmware image file. A firmware image file ends in .img.

Step 3 FACT checks the firmware version on each switch that you want to upgrade and prints the version numbers to the screen, grouped by version number. FACT then asks for confirmation.

Confirm the version by typing Y. FACT installs the new firmware on all specified switches.

The following example shows a firmware upgrade on unmanaged switches 4 through 6: